May 25, 2017

Boston, Massachusetts-based American Robotics announced it has raised $1.1 million through an initial seed round led by angel investors and including Brain Robotics Capital LLC – a fund that backs science-based companies in the AI, robotics, and IoT sectors.

Founded by alumni from Carnegie Mellon and Stanford Universities, American Robotics develops drones specifically to address the needs of the agriculture sector.

“Our mission is to become the new standard in agriculture, and we believe that over time our drones will become as important to a farmer as his tractor,” company founder and CEO Reese Mozer told GAI News.

“As the world’s population continues to grow, farmers will need to be able to produce more food from the same land. Exacerbating this problem, an aging farmer population is simultaneously shrinking in numbers. To overcome these hurdles, growers need scalable solutions that will increase productivity. At American Robotics we are developing an integrated drone system for commercial farming that enables reliable, autonomous scouting for farmers.”

Billions of dollars worth of crops are lost in the U.S. every year to preventable problems notes American Robotics. Drought and heat damage alone resulted in the loss of $17.5 billion in crops in 2012. Additionally, U.S. farmers lose an estimated combined 24 percent of their crops to pests and disease.

Automated drone technology, such as is being developed by American Robotics, has the ability to help farmers improve yields, reduce the use of costly and often environmentally detrimental agri-chemicals, and improve the efficient use of water resources.

“Farmers are looking to automation to help tackle the issue of producing more food to support the growing population in a more sustainable way, said Mozer. “To do that, they need a reliable tool. We are employing cutting-edge automation, intelligence, and an IoT mindset to develop a practical, turn-key solution.”

Located in the collaborative space, MassRobotics in Boston, the city is gaining a reputation as a hub for robotic startups.

“Boston is a world-renowned hub for innovation and education. It is also becoming known for its achievements in robotics,” Mozer told GAI News. “Having access to MassRobotics and its hardware-focused workspace and ecosystem was a key factor in attracting us to the Boston area. We feel the Boston ecosystem genuinely understands the robotics culture, and as we scale we’re confident we will have access to some of the brightest talent this country has to offer.”

The funding gained through this seed round will be used by the company to further develop its integrated drone system for commercial farming operations, and to expand its team. The company plans to pilot its product this summer.

-Lynda Kiernan

Lynda Kiernan is Editor with GAI Media and daily contributor to GAI News. If you would like to submit a contribution for consideration, please contact Ms. Kiernan at lkiernan@globalaginvesting.com.